[DH Dad]

Interestingly enough the 2.5 Minion UST is front/rear compatible but the non-UST Minion has a different pattern front and rear?

It would appear that the Minion 2.5 Rear tire tread is now offered UST but the front is not so they've simply stated that it can be used on both ends.

 

[Acadian]

ya I wonder why the Minion DHF is not offered as UST??

 

[spoke80]

Profro has alot of experience with the UST rubber.

 

[psycle-on]

I heard that many of the pros that are running the UST on the front are cutting it to make it more similar to the regular minion front. I would not be suprised to see a UST front at some point though.

 

[profro]

Maxxis has realized that both tires, the DHF and DHR, can be and have been used universally for front and rear tires and they are trying to move away from listing them as front or rear specific tires.

However, a little birdy has told me that after Interbike in October it is possible that several of their tires will be offered in UST DH versions. But I don't know why they decided to only release the DHR in UST first.

As for the tires, I have used the DHR in UST front and rear and I think it excells in fast hardpack. It rolls extremely well and corners moderiately well on hardpack or loose over hardpack. The adavantage is that in the UST version without running tubes you can get this tire to preform better than it really is. I mean by lowering the pressure and without the extra ply of the tube the tire really conforms to the terrian and can give excellent traction.

I have also run prototype versions of the DHF in UST (front and rear) and this tire excells in medium soil or loose over hardpack. At the right pressure cornering on this tire can be a dream, but the braking might not be as good. But on hard pack, the tire doesn't bite quite as hard due to the high center knobs. Take for instance the Bling Bling, which has the same corner knobs. The Bling Bling can bite on hardpack much better due to the corner knobs being relatively higher to the center knobs. Does that make sense.

I am sponsored by Maxxis and as a result I get to try lots of different tires and I don't mind giving my opinions, but I am by no means a tire designer or expert.

 

[Acadian]

profo:
do you run the 2.5 or 2.7's?
SRY or ST?
Ever tired the non UST Minion DHF mounted as tubeless (with Stans of some sealant)?
For places like Big Bear you would recommend the Minion DHF's then?
or maybe DHF (front) and DHR (rear)?

 

[Brian HCM#1]

I think the UST Minion only comes in a 2.5 sticky.

 

[Acadian]

I think the UST Minion only comes in a 2.5 sticky.

yes it does...

but I was asking about the non UST ones.

 

[Brian HCM#1]

Oh, well see what happens when I try to butt in.

 

[profro]

I personally like 2.5 tires better. But I do have some UST Highrollers in 2.7 that I am saving for Scheitzer. Our courses tend to not be like West coast or Rocky Mtn. stuff. We tend to have dark loamy soil that stays fairly hardpack all summer. Not like N*, BB, or places that get blown out with little rain. So the need for a big tire to 'float' on top of loose soil and rocks isn't there.

Currently I am running ST, as that is all they offer in UST.

I have not tried to mount a non UST DHR as tubeless, but I have tried a 2.5 Highroller and couldn't get it to bead due to a huge ding in the rim, but with a compressor I feel certain that with lots of soapy water and patience it can be done. (I'm on 729s with Stans)

I have never ridden at Big Bear, but from first hand accounts and from judging on how people cut their 24s for there I would say a Highroller. If not a Highroller, then 2 DHFs. It seems to me that Big Bear has super soft baby powder dirt that is real deep (>1")and the tread on the DHF might act like two rows of side knobs because the tire sinks deep when cornering... maybe?

However, we have one trail around here that is a 2.5 mile wide open jeep road that can tend to get baby powderish due to the high 4x4 traffic and I have have run the following tire combos down it. But keep in mind that the baby powder is only an inch thick at best, then underneath it is hardpack.

2 UST DHFs (2.5s)
2.7 UST Highroller front/2.5 UST DHR rear
2.5 DHF front/2.5 Highroller rear (both non UST with tubes)

The DHFs were the worst. and the DHF/Highroller was the best as a combo, but I think that 2 2.5 Highrollers would have been the best. In all honesty I think any UST tire makes for a better tire. The lack of a sidewall allows the tire to grip unlike any tubed tire. Ecspecially and DH tubed tire. But the DHF/Highroller combo is quickly becoming a favorite.

 

[psycle-on]

profo:
do you run the 2.5 or 2.7's?
SRY or ST?
Ever tired the non UST Minion DHF mounted as tubeless (with Stans of some sealant)?
For places like Big Bear you would recommend the Minion DHF's then?
or maybe DHF (front) and DHR (rear)?

Since I am in similar conditions to Profo, I will not comment on tire grip, however I have mounted both the DHF and DHR non ust as tubless tires on Singlewides and Mag 30's with the Maxxis tubeless rimstrip and some Stan's. I have had good success with no flats or burps all last season.

I have also mounted a UST DHR on a Mag 30 with Maxxis rimstrip and no sealant (I did use a bit of soapy water). It holds air but I have not really had a chance to ride it yet.

 

[Acadian]

is the 2.7 Minion DHF much wider than the 2.5 Minion DHF?

I just recall one time comparing my 2.2" Comp 24.1 to Joe Pozer's 2.5" Minion DHR and my 2.2 appeared wider!!

I'm thinking of maybe getting a set of Maxxis just to try out. Either:
2.5 Minion DHF front SR/2.5 highroller rear ST
2.7 Minion DHF front SR/2.5 highroller rear ST (more air volume on the front might help N*)

Looks like Highrollers are not offered in SR?

 

[thaflyinfatman]

is the 2.7 Minion DHF much wider than the 2.5 Minion DHF?

I just recall one time comparing my 2.2" Comp 24.1 to Joe Pozer's 2.5" Minion DHR and my 2.2 appeared wider!!

I'm thinking of maybe getting a set of Maxxis just to try out. Either:
2.5 Minion DHF front SR/2.5 highroller rear ST
2.7 Minion DHF front SR/2.5 highroller rear ST (more air volume on the front might help N*)

Looks like Highrollers are not offered in SR?

Yeah a 2.7 Minion is more like an "actual" 2.5", the 2.5" Maxxes (plural of Maxxis) are more like 2.3". Definitely go a 2.7" Minion front, SUPERB tyre. I'm not a highroller fan personally, but yeah the minions grip like hands to tits.

 

[profro]

Yeah, the Maxxis 2.5s are small and likewise their 2.7s are no where near the Michy 2.8. But the 2.7s have considerable more air volume that the 2.5s.

For the pics of N* that I have seen, I would get the 2.7 DHF/2.5 Highroller. Maxxis does have the Highrollers in SRY.

I have yet to try SRYs, but the ST tacky compound has its faults. In the rear, the ST will tear off knobs. I don't mind it too much cuz I'm setup, but once my cheap tires run out I'm going to try SRYs in the rear. I have heard that they might be slghtly more 'squirmier', but the tread will last longer. For race run stuff I like the ST, cuz its hard enough to bite in yet it is still plenty sticky. But it does tear up much quicker.

 

[Acadian]

Yeah, the Maxxis 2.5s are small and likewise their 2.7s are no where near the Michy 2.8. But the 2.7s have considerable more air volume that the 2.5s.

For the pics of N* that I have seen, I would get the 2.7 DHF/2.5 Highroller. Maxxis does have the Highrollers in SRY.

I have yet to try SRYs, but the ST tacky compound has its faults. In the rear, the ST will tear off knobs. I don't mind it too much cuz I'm setup, but once my cheap tires run out I'm going to try SRYs in the rear. I have heard that they might be slghtly more 'squirmier', but the tread will last longer. For race run stuff I like the ST, cuz its hard enough to bite in yet it is still plenty sticky. But it does tear up much quicker.

Maxxis web site indicates that the 2.5 Highrollers don't come in SRY anymore...just ST - they do come in 2.7" SRY tho...

BTI indicates the same..

 

[profro]

I see...they still have the line item, but you can't select it. I bet that means they don't have any and might be waiting to get some. I'll see if I can find out what the deal is.

 

[Acadian]

well..I just ordered:
2.7 Minion DHF front SR/2.5 highroller rear ST

will give that a try and see how it feels..

 

[profro]

Cool. Let me know how they do.

 

[Knuckleslammer]

Hey, just out of curiosity, what do you consider low pressure for UST. I don't really DH so I'm at a loss as far as that goes. Let's just call me a hard trail rider. I have the Gazza 2.3 UST Tires. I'm running them at 40psi and feel that I'm not really getting the benefit of UST, but hesitant of running them any lower as I don't want a flat out in the woods. So far I've used UST almost exclusively D3.1 rims with Weirwolf 2.1's and now the 2.3 Gazzas. No flats, no problems whatsoever. I'm using stans jizz too (2 cups per tire)
Could I get away with a lower pressure, I know you can run like 20 psi right, or am I completely off base here? Once again, sorry to hijack a DH tire thread, just curious as to what people are running for pressures. Yeah, I know there are 400 posts about it. I'm lazy ok? Thanks
Knuckle

 

[profro]

I run around 25-30 psi with UST tires. The reason why I run this high is because they roll faster and without the tube they grip like a tubed tire with 20-25 psi.

I am hammering the sh!t out of these tires and I don't flat even when I ding the rim. Trust me, you shouldn't burp a UST tire even arpound 20 psi in DH conditions. I suggest you lower the pressure to 30 psi and try that, then adjust up or down if you need. I don't run lower pressure because the tire starts to fold and feel funny at pressures much lower than 20 psi.

 

[Acadian]

Hey, just out of curiosity, what do you consider low pressure for UST. I don't really DH so I'm at a loss as far as that goes. Let's just call me a hard trail rider. I have the Gazza 2.3 UST Tires. I'm running them at 40psi and feel that I'm not really getting the benefit of UST, but hesitant of running them any lower as I don't want a flat out in the woods. So far I've used UST almost exclusively D3.1 rims with Weirwolf 2.1's and now the 2.3 Gazzas. No flats, no problems whatsoever. I'm using stans jizz too (2 cups per tire)
Could I get away with a lower pressure, I know you can run like 20 psi right, or am I completely off base here? Once again, sorry to hijack a DH tire thread, just curious as to what people are running for pressures. Yeah, I know there are 400 posts about it. I'm lazy ok? Thanks
Knuckle

from what people have been telling me - under 40psi is low which I find absurd..

 

[profro]

from what people have been telling me - under 40psi is low which I find absurd..

I remember that thread.

 

[Acadian]

I remember that thread.

heck I don't even run that much on my XC bike!!

 

[DH Dad]

well..I just ordered:
2.7 Minion DHF front SR/2.5 highroller rear ST

will give that a try and see how it feels..

Are you going to try to run them tubeless on stans or 823 rims? If so please supply feedback if it works.

I have a 2.7 Minion DHF SRy, a 2.5 Minion DHF ST and a 2.5 DHR SRy sitting in my garage doing nothing since I've switched to 823 tubeless this year. I'd love to mount them on my 823 if they'll work.

BTW, the 2.7 DHF/2.5 DHR both in SRy are super grippy when conditions are dry or loamy, when they turn muddy forget about it, you might as well put slicks on and spray with Pam. Last year at a Ragged race I practiced 4 or 5 runs on the Minions and was hauling, then it started to rain and the entire course converted to a mud pit within two hours, I couldn't even navigate my bike down that course and ended up injuring myself when the bike simply disappeared from under me.

 

[Acadian]

Are you going to try to run them tubeless on stans or 823 rims? If so please supply feedback if it works.

I have a 2.7 Minion DHF SRy, a 2.5 Minion DHF ST and a 2.5 DHR SRy sitting in my garage doing nothing since I've switched to 823 tubeless this year. I'd love to mount them on my 823 if they'll work.

BTW, the 2.7 DHF/2.5 DHR both in SRy are super grippy when conditions are dry or loamy, when they turn muddy forget about it, you might as well put slicks on and spray with Pam. Last year at a Ragged race I practiced 4 or 5 runs on the Minions and was hauling, then it started to rain and the entire course converted to a mud pit within two hours, I couldn't even navigate my bike down that course and ended up injuring myself when the bike simply disappeared from under me.

I will try to mount the front to my 823 UST rim, and the rear on my 521 using Stans.

At one point I had some Maxxis which I tried mounting on my D3.1's - but couldn't get them to inflate Will try one more time and see.

 

[Jonny Wray]

Luc,

just to give you some warning, I had a 2.5 highroller ST on the back last year. Lasted one weekend at N* before all the knobs were hanging off. I'm running a 60 on the back now.

Jonny

well..I just ordered:
2.7 Minion DHF front SR/2.5 highroller rear ST

will give that a try and see how it feels..

 

[Acadian]

Luc,

just to give you some warning, I had a 2.5 highroller ST on the back last year. Lasted one weekend at N* before all the knobs were hanging off. I'm running a 60 on the back now.

Jonny

oh ouch...good to know. Thanks.

 

[Repack]

I guess that these are some thoughts slightyl related to this thread.
I run a 2.7 Minion DHR SR on the front, tubed on a 321. They aork well in most conditions. I like riding in mud and have found that the DHR does well in everything but the sort of mud where you would want a pure mud tire. I raced it like this at Mt Snow and didn't have any issues. In the rear I have an Intense 909 2.5 comp 60. I have never run a sticky tire in the back, and probobly won't, unless one is given to me. With a sticky tire in front, and a less sticky tire in back, they seem to wear at about the same rate. The only ~shortcoming of the DHR that I can think of is that they pick up a lot more sand than the sticky tires that I have ridden from Intense and Michelin. I can't feel it while I ride, but when I see my tire coated with sand, I can't help but think that it is slowing me down. But like I said, I can't feel it, so I'm not going to change it.
I ride 30psi f+r. I weigh ~230 now. If the tire were the same, I would pump up the rear a little more. But the Intense has such a stiff sidewall that I leave them the same. I used to love Intense tire but try to avoind them now b/c they don't have the same feel as the Maxxis's. At my weight, if I ran the tires any softer they would role and I would dent the crap out of my rims.

 

[ChrisKring]

well..I just ordered:
2.7 Minion DHF front SR/2.5 highroller rear ST

will give that a try and see how it feels..

I ran that exact tire combo at Big Bear this year. It worked awesome with the Mag30/Stans setup. Tons of cornering and braking.

However, as you know Luc. I flatted the rear in practice. I slammed a square edge rock well into the 30 mph range. It tore a hole in the sidewall and dented the crap out of the rim. Then in a hurry, I threw in a XC tube and flatted on my race run. Both times I was running 22psi in the rear.

I only mention all of this because I want it to be clear that the flat that many of you saw was not a fault of the tire. Rather it was me trying to get ever last bit of peformance out of the tires. Had I put in a DH tube, I would have been fine.

I ran this same setup again at Mount Snow for the race. Again, the 2.7 DHF / 2.5 Highroller in SRY worked better than any other tire combo that I have ever tried. During Friday practice at Mount Snow and at Snowshoe, I ran 2.5 Swampthings. Again, awesome.

Some of you have seen our race trailer an know the number of tires that are in there. I have tried just about every tire from most manufactures and firmly believe that Maxxis has the best tires for any conditions. We are sponsored by Maxxis, however, we choose to pursue only Maxxis after trying out some of their tires. If you look around, they are doing more development that anyone else. Most companies didn't even come out with any new tires this year.

And that same birdie that Profro heard from told me the same thing. UST DHF in the house soon.

 

[Acadian]

I actually pulled out of my Maxxis order...I'm going to wait a bit. Maybe until the UST DHF comes out.

I think the USF SRY front and HR 60 rear would be a tad better for a place like North Star where rocks will destroy a ST tire in a weekend!!

 

[GravityFreakTJ]

And that same birdie that Profro heard from told me the same thing. UST DHF in the house soon.

That little birdie didn't happen to mention a time frame did he?

 

[Hrelp]

I just mounted a set of mag 30's on DHR 2.5 non-ust minions as my dry tire setup. I've got comp32 up front and Nevegal rear as my wet tire setup on D321's ( The Nevegal has been the BEST rear tire i've ever run and if the minion can match it i'll be suprised.)

 

[ChrisKring]

I actually pulled out of my Maxxis order...I'm going to wait a bit. Maybe until the UST DHF comes out.

I think the USF SRY front and HR 60 rear would be a tad better for a place like North Star where rocks will destroy a ST tire in a weekend!!

Actually, the SRY compound last longer than the ST coumpound.

I wouldn't look for the DHF in UST before october. Buy the non tubeless now and when the UST comes out you will be ready for new tires. You to buy more toys now :devil:

 

[Acadian]

Actually, the SRY compound last longer than the ST coumpound.

I wouldn't look for the DHF in UST before october. Buy the non tubeless now and when the UST comes out you will be ready for new tires. You to buy more toys now :devil:

my bank account has been exercising so much lately that it's getting pretty lean!

 

[profro]

Actually, the SRY compound last longer than the ST coumpound.

I wouldn't look for the DHF in UST before october. Buy the non tubeless now and when the UST comes out you will be ready for new tires. You to buy more toys now :devil:

There is NO way I could last on a pair of tires from now until October, even if it was 60d. Windrock just destroys tires, but everytime I put on a new one I realize why I keep putting on new tires. The grip of a fresh tire is one of the nicest things out there. I personally beleive that tires are the single most important peice of equipment on my bike, followed closely by brakes and suspension. Going in a straight line is easy, but cornering requires so much skill and trust in your rubber. Cornering is where you feel you are really going fast. However, I don't think tread pattern is as important as compound and sidewall properties. A few esceptions are mud tires, where tread pattern and knob place has to be completely different front dry condition tires.

I was a avid Michelin supporter until I saw what Maxxis was doing for the sport. Don't get me wrong, Michelin makes great tires and it doesn't bother me that they don't release new tires ever year. Somethings don't need to be improved on. But Maxxis is a local company to me and they sponsor our local race series as well as just about anything bike related in the South. Furthermore, the people are super cool and really want to know what you think of the tires. Take me, I'm a expert ridering trying my best to qualify for the semi-pro ranks (which I did thank you), but Wyatt at Maxxis really listens to what we have to say about his tires and how they preform. That is a relationship that means alot to me as a rider and racer.

and BTW, the Highroller and DHF in 2.5 will be released in October (after Interbike) in UST versions.

 

[Acadian]

if Maxxis was close by and they supplied me with a plethora of tires..I would also run them!

 

[Jeremy R]

Yep, Michelin is located in Greenville, right down the road from me.
They have always supported us as a team, and I am forever loyal.
But you ain't gonna hear me say a bad word about Maxxis.
They do so much for our sport both nationally and locally. I am good
friends with some of their employees and they are all top notch guys
and gals.

 

[profro]

Yes, that does play into it, but the relationship is important too. Just like the relationship Jeremy and the SEI guys have with Michelin. Its good for the sport, the riders and the companys.

Because I do get to try a lot of tires, even ones that aren't out yet, I try to relay that imformation to you and possibly help you pick out some new tires without having to buy every Maxxis tire. I really try to be open about the fact that they sponsor me and that I used to love (and still do) Michelin tires. The difference is that I can talk to the people at Maxxis over dinner or a MTB movie about what I like and dislike and I really feel like it makes a difference. Maxxis is good peeps. and so is Michelin .

Now everyone go home and hug your tires.

 

[Acadian]

profo...how does the High Roller work as a front tire? like in soft BB type stuff?

 

[Acadian]

I'm trying to decided what combo I should try? I don't want something that is only optimal at North Star (very loose and rocky) but someting that I can also ride on other NorCal trails.

for the front:
2.7 Minion DHF SRY vs 2.7 High Roller SRY (or maybe 2.5 would be better?)

for the rear I think I'll stick with the 2.5 HR 60 duro tire.